Is this quite beyond InDesign CS3? If it is solvable the solution isn’t mentioned in any CS3 book I have managed to get hold of, nor is it dealt with in the CS3 Help facility as far as I can see, nor were the speakers at a recent Adove CS3 Workshop able to solve it. Please advise this frustrated book author! Being the printer, I can’t say I pass the job on to the printer.:-) We do it using auto page numbering, export it as one big pdf, and then use our imposition program to lay the file up multiple times on a page. A lot of jobs we do leave the number blank, and use the numbering machine later, but we’re getting more and more jobs that are run on digital presses like the Docucolor 250 and have numbers too small for the numberer, so we have to do them in the file. This works fine for single-sided jobs, but when a job numbers on one side, but not the other, it gets tricky, especially if it’s NCR, which has to be duplexed.
I am trying to create raffle tickets, 4 on a page with only a number on the stub. My problem is when I get to the print preview and change it to "multiple pages per sheet" it is just changing the number on the next page and not on the next ticket. I followed all the directions on adding the number to each ticket from the merge document (of course all the step by step information I can find is only for 2007 and NOT 2013 so guessing there is something wrong with what I am doing). When I go into the print screen it is also changing my paper from 8 1/2 x 11 to 11 x 17 and putting 8 on the page.
The next step is to create the simple Excel workbook that contains the ticket numbers. Open a blank Excel sheet. Using Figure B as a guide, create the ticket numbering sheet and save it, making sure to note the new workbook's name and location. As we discussed earlier, the Excel workbook stores the ticket numbers. In this example, we'll create 11 tickets numbered 100 through 110. You'll need to update the ticket values for each merge.
I have done this twice now, getting flustered. The ticket part the person keeps has the correct sequential number on it, but the side that we keep has the same number on it for the whole page. What part am I missing, at first I did not uncheck the box, but this time I did but have the same number on the stub side that we keep with the person's name, etc
Like a charm! I can choose how many zero how many out I need and if there are special versions I can separate them too! Thank you, I was just about to run screaming from the building! All the “solutions” mentioned on this page are great examples of a great irritation in the graphics industry: When offering solutions, PLEASE mention the platform you are using and save people some frustration; what works great for you on a PC may not work at all on a Mac. What options you see on your version of Indesign are NOT cross-platform and Corel is strictly a Windows application. Thus we get puzzled responses from those who can’t understand why someone cannot grasp what they see as a simple process.
1. On the first hand, you need to initiate Microsoft Publisher. You can view a magnifying glass icon and you need to hit inside the little field which shows Available Templates page. Now you should type the Word ‘tickets’ and move your cursor towards the magnifying glass icon. Hit on it. Subsequently you need to evaluate and assess the ticket options in the Microsoft Publisher. After that you can double click on the desired template. For example if you want to open the raffle ticket template just double click on it for the Publisher to open it for you.
I’m quite inclined to let the printer add the numbers. Less file size for me, less plates for me. I recently sent an invite to a digital printers, I offered to lay it up with all the names, they rejected the idea and said they could merge the names in as it printed. I guess it’s down to what you’re going to use it for. But if you’re going to print them yourself then by all means, if it’s going to a printer, best to check with them before you send anything definite over.
I am using your instructions to create a page of tickets - the design has been created as a picture so I added a text box to "hold" the mail merge instructions but I keep getting the error message "You cannot include DATA, NEXT, NEXTIF, or SKIPIF fields in comments, headers, footers, footnotes or endnotes." I have not included any of these but I'm wondering if it's because I've attempted to insert it in a text box. Is there an easy way to do this? TIA
I basically used Bob Levine’s method (thanks) but wanted to add some extra detail – am using CS2 which is somewhat behind CS3 in this area. David, I was very discouraged to read your response to Josh on April 28th 2008. It seems your comment was quite dismissive to him with exactly no feedback help. He seemed to be looking for some more help trying to work through what you and the other InDesign gurus discuss as a “simple process”. I to, have read through your directions while using both mac & pc platforms. I fail to find the “standard features” screen shots that you show above in either program. I too have spent several hours trying to get the sequential 3-up numbering as described.
Remember that you must update the values in the sheet if you want to continue the numbering series with the next batch of tickets. For instance, if you want your next batch of tickets to start with 112, you'd open the workbook and change the value 100 to 112, and update the remaining values accordingly. Don't forget to save the workbook after updating the values.
The trick is this: I creat an 'template' of the card, somewhere outside of the page. All object for data are text object, with all the formating needed. In place of the photo is an rectangle. The script read an text file (CSV) with the database, duplicate all template object, one by one and replace string in text object with the string from DB and import photo in place of the rectangle, redimension and convert to RGB or CMYK, acording to the initial data (atach.) When the page is full, create another one.
I to, have read through your directions while using both mac & pc platforms. I fail to find the “standard features” screen shots that you show above in either program. I too have spent several hours trying to get the sequential 3-up numbering as described. In trying to produce 300 tickets, I can get all of the first numbered position to be sequential over 100 pages. But, when moving down to the second or third ticket position on the page and setting up the numbering, I repeatedly find that I get a repeat of the first 100 numbers. I am lost as to how to proceed. Is there any other missing step or info that I am assumed to have knowledge about that was not mentioned above? If you know of some other site that might explain this process any better, please post. Thanks for your help.
Having personalized raffle tickets printed can get expensive, especially if you operate a fund-raising operation and must do this often. An alternative to using costly printing services is to use the raffle ticket template. With the raffle ticket template, you save money. The raffle ticket template also gives you complete creative control. Simply by opening a template in Microsoft Word means that can design it yourself by adding both text and images, all from the comfort of your own home.
Corel crashed repeatedly on my production person today while he was trying to number them using the plug-in. I couldn’t figure out how to make Mike’s script work. It appeared designed for variable numbers in one place. My customer needed her tickets numbered in two places, on the ticket and on the stub. Because she needs them tomorrow there is no time to send them out to be numbered manually. I’ll keep watching this space for more info. Thanks folks.

Your raffle might be subject to gaming commission or tax laws. Check with your municipality, state or province, and federal governments to make sure your raffle is legal. These government departments aren’t just enforcers. They are often great resources on how to run a successful fund raising raffle. Raffles are fun! Getting in trouble with the law or tax man is not.

The exciting thing about our templates is that you are free to customize them, they are easy to download, and you can use them over and over again. These templates will save you time and money and so easy to use, that you can grab yourself a cup of coffee, sit down, relax and create your raffle tickets. Remember you might find other uses for them as well, some may use this sequential numbering system to create price tags for bake sales, and garage sales. Indeed, anything you may require a ‘ticket’ for, you can customize our templates and make them work for you.

Having personalized raffle tickets printed can get expensive, especially if you operate a fund-raising operation and must do this often. An alternative to using costly printing services is to use the raffle ticket template. With the raffle ticket template, you save money. The raffle ticket template also gives you complete creative control. Simply by opening a template in Microsoft Word means that can design it yourself by adding both text and images, all from the comfort of your own home.
Change all other existing text to reflect the correct date and prizes by highlighting the words and either editing or deleting the existing text. Font size and style can be adjusted using the font toolbar above the document. Images can be added by using the Insert menu in the toolbar and following the same process as inserting images to a Word document.
As far as threading the frames, is it that you don't understand threading? You accomplish that by using the selection tool to click in the outport box (the larger square near the lower right corner of the text frame), then clicking inside the frame you want to be next in the thread. Repeat as often as required, selecting the outport of the last frame you threaded each time. Text will now flow automatically from the first frame to the end of the thread. You can work backwards, too, if you wish, by selecting the inport (upper left) instead of the outport.
Now for the slightly hard bit. If you just try and complete your merge now, you'll get several pages of tickets. Each page will have four tickets on it. But all tickets on any page will have the same number. Each page will have a different number, but all the tickets on that page will have the same number. That's no good. You need each ticket to have a different number.